Thursday Baseball Free Picks – Braves vs Dodgers

Looking for an exciting Thursday night baseball bet? Look no further than Los Angeles, where the Dodgers will host baseball’s hottest team, the Atlanta Braves.

Atlanta Braves (31-22 SU, 24-29 R/L, 25-24-4 O/U) at Los Angeles Dodgers (31-22 SU, 26-27 R/L, 28-24-1 O/U)
Thursday, June 3: 10:10 p.m.

Betting Odds:

• Atlanta: +1 ½, -170, +115 (Kris Medlen-R)
• Los Angeles: -1 ½, +150, -135 (Hiroki Kuroda-R)

Total Runs:

• Over 8: -115
• Under 8: -105

That’s right, after a whirlwind couple weeks, it is the Atlanta Braves who have won eight straight games, and find themselves in first place in the NL East, after sweeping the Phillies earlier this week. This team gets it done with timely hitting, and some unexpectedly good pitching.

No pitcher signifies the Braves season than Thursday night’s starter, Kris Medlen. Medlen was a little used reliever until a few weeks ago, when an injury forced him into the rotation. Since then he’s been phenomenal, with three quality outings since becoming a starter. Medlen has a 2.85 ERA on the season, and got his first win from the rotation last week, in a 6-3 victory over the Pirates.

As for the Atlanta offense, it is surging, after scoring 18 runs in the three wins over Philadelphia. No one has been more impressive than the Braves youngest player, outfielder Jason Heyward.

The 20-year-old rookie has exceeded any realistic expectations anyone could have had coming into this season, as he leads this team with 10 home runs, and is second with 38 runs batted in. Martin Prado sets the tone at the top of the order, as he leads all regulars with a .324 batting average.

Looking to slow down this Atlanta offense will be Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda is coming off maybe his worst performance of 2010, when he lasted just four innings and gave up five earned runs in a loss last weekend to the Rockies. He is second on this Dodgers team in wins however, with five already this season.

Offensively, the Dodgers have been struggling just a bit, as they’re coming off back-to-back 1-0 wins over Arizona. However, expect the offense to pick back up this weekend, as the Dodgers best hitter- Andre Ethier- is just returning from injury.

Ethier has 11 home runs and 38 RBI, which is especially impressive considering that he missed two weeks earlier this month. In three games since returning from injury, he has recorded just one hit.

So with two of the National League’s two best teams set to do battle, who should you take as your Thursday night baseball bet? The play here should be the Dodgers.

As hot as the Braves are, they’re coming off an emotional physically exhausting three game sweep over Philadelphia. Having to fly straight from Atlanta to Los Angeles and play this game certainly is a lot to ask, and expect the Braves to come out a bit flat.

Look for Kuroda to silence Atlanta’s bats, and for the Dodgers to get an impressive run line victory. Make them your baseball bet on Thursday night.

Aaron’s Pick: Dodgers R/L -1 ½, +150